


That Is Why It Is Called The Present (Gifts Remix)

by Lunarium



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animal Death, Galaxy Garrison, M/M, POV First Person, Remix, Sarcastic Shiro, Some Humor, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-02 07:58:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19194841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarium/pseuds/Lunarium
Summary: Shiro has always been one to make lemonade out of lemons. Being turned into an alien hell-beast was no different.





	That Is Why It Is Called The Present (Gifts Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Genesister (papirini)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/papirini/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Gifts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15672267) by [Genesister (papirini)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/papirini/pseuds/Genesister). 



> Ni! ♥️ I absolutely love your fic [Gifts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15672267) and it was an honor to get an opportunity to remix it! Everyone, please read Ni's fic! <3 
> 
> Many, many thanks to leandralena for looking this over! ♥️

The funny thing about life is that no amount of philosophizing, words of wisdom, or advice from sages could ever prepare or numb you to the amount of shit the universe is ready to throw at you. 

“God does not give you more burdens then you can handle.” 

What a joke. A muscular and nervous illness that left me a ticking clock towards an early death, pushing me to chase my dreams before death gripped me by the neck, pissing off my fiancé enough that he called off the engagement (and by then I had stopped caring about keeping the relationship afloat; I just wanted to be up in space before I die)—all that wasn’t enough for the universe. 

I clearly wasn’t suffering enough. 

No, I had to suffer _more_. I could clearly take on more burdens! 

The expedition up in Kerberos getting rudely interrupted by a giant purple alien spaceship, and then getting bitten by a large crazed beast that led to me losing my arm wasn’t even enough. Oh, no, the universe still wasn’t done with me. 

I was passed out on the lander, with colleagues attempted to keep me alive while navigating through a deadly, icy meteor shower. If the lovely stump of my right arm wasn't enough to traumatize me, the meteor shower for sure gave me psychological damage. 

No, still not enough. The universe decided I should also become a _werewolf_. 

Or…some sort of were-thing. 

The first time my transformation happened, it was sudden and without any control on my part. I nearly ripped Dr. Holt’s throat, a rude act I apologized profusely over afterwards. Matt and Dr. Holt knew my secret, and they were kind enough to not tell anyone, especially not the Galaxy Garrison who now were aware that aliens existed—extremely hostile aliens, who they were prepared to take head-on when the time came (“when” being the key word here). 

As for me, I was out cold for the first several weeks, just trying not to die. I lost my right arm. My body changed. My internal organs felt like someone was squeezing and twisting them with sharp nails. I went through hell. I was still going through hell. I would continue to face hell. 

I would never see space again. The Garrison wouldn’t allow a physically disabled astronaut in space, even if I was the one to face the aliens and was the only one in my group to have some semblance of an idea on how to overpower them. You’d think being able to turn into an intergalactic hell-beast would have its uses, but all it did was shove me down to the bottom of the ladder. I was their secretary, a cautionary tale, a recruiter. 

I didn’t bother to see my ex-fiancé. Why would I? To watch his self-righteous sigh and hear the “I told you so”? 

I don’t need anyone's pity. I stayed at the Garrison, and I made the most of my situation.

I mean…I _really_ made the most of my situation. If there’s a quote I live by it’s “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Being turned into an alien hell-beast was no different.

⁂

Keith. My best friend. Before the fateful mission we had spent every opportunity together. It was one of the reasons for my ex leaving me (whatever), and others had often mistaken Keith and I for lovers. At first the mistake left me feeling awkward, especially when I was already spoken for, but later on I hadn’t minded the idea.

Always marry your best friend. Your _true_ best friend. I speak from experience. 

Except I hardly spent time with Keith after returning to Earth. Having my life turn upside down just put my mind on other matters. 

Don’t get me wrong. If you think I spent the following year moping over my missing right arm, disfigured face, white splotch of hair, and my new life as a were-alien-something, you’re terribly mistaken. I’m the master of adaptivity. The nights saw me prowling through forests and canyons and the wide, open desert, relearning who I am, what I am, and what I’m capable of. The wind blowing through my mane became my first friend in this new existence. I learned to curb the terrible, feral desires of this new form. I learned to defend myself, because the hostile aliens were coming and I wanted to be prepared. I learned how to transform at will, though I had my limitations (nights seemed to make the transformations easier). I taught myself to hunt, because I was hungry and found new joy in the taste of the flesh of freshly caught game. 

There was another reason. 

Keith. 

I knew my friend lived out by himself in a shack out in the desert, in the middle of nowhere. He’d always been small and thin due to malnutrition, and despite the fine dining the Garrison provides—I recommend the mac and cheese if you ever happen by, especially if you have both a lactose and gluten intolerance—it wasn't enough to add meat on his bones. He needed more protein, especially if he was planning to shoot for the Titan mission, for which I hear he was shortlisted for. 

I could help him. 

I sampled the numerous critters available in the area. Snake meat was terrible, and too much trouble to acquire. Same went for most lizards. Jackrabbits were among my favorites. I love rabbits, used to have one for a pet as a child, and I was always sorry to kill them, but it was a good and delicious source of protein and Keith would grow strong from it. 

After delivering the gift, I realized this was a great opportunity to break the ice and approach Keith. See if he enjoyed the meal. See if he passed the weight class test. But a mere jackrabbit wouldn’t be enough, I decided the following morning. So my sharp ears scanned for some inspiration for what would be his next meal. He needed something more filling, something larger and—

Oh. _Deer._

⁂

“I’m proud of you, you know that?”

Turns out hunting for deer wasn’t as easy as I had hoped. I had gotten the hang of smaller game, but larger prey put up a good fight. One deer had fought me off. The deer had butted me with its antlers and I still felt a jolt of pain whenever I moved too quickly or laughed. This couldn’t turn into a habit, not until I mastered being a werewolf—or whatever creature I was. 

I had let the deer go—I had barely scratched the deer; it was far above my hunting caliber—before zeroing in on a different victim; it was still a sizable meal, and would feed Keith for the entire week. 

My sides seared with pain by the time I dumped the deer on Keith’s porch and made off. 

I had the chance to catch up with Keith later that day. He was doing well, since the time we had last spoken, and hearing of his constant good progress…well, I couldn’t resist praising him. 

I _especially_ was proud of the gift I left on his doorstep, and when Keith mentioned it…I had to hold back the knowing grin. If only he knew. 

He didn’t seem as thrilled, of course. Confusion was natural. This wasn’t a Harry & David gift basket. But a Harry & David wasn’t going to help him pass his weight class test (no offense to the pear lovers!), so I knew I was doing the right thing. He was eating the food I was leaving him, that’s all that mattered.

But like I said, the deer attack had left me in no state for an encore. It left me with time to experiment with smaller game once more. If I enjoyed my own meal, I made a mental note to get the same for Keith. After Keith was done with the venison, I prepared for him a gift basket full of wren, a nice change of pace. Turns out I was pretty good at climbing trees to get at passerine birds. After the wren, I got him a pair of kit foxes—their meat was so tender I wanted Keith to have aplenty. Then a box turtle; I discovered a delicious recipe I was eager to share with him if he ever asked about it—and—

And then I learned he wasn’t living alone. 

He didn’t go into details about his mother, but the reason for her staying with him appeared to be a matter that couldn’t go public. Touched that he would open up to me about it, I offered to take him with me to the Grand Canyon this weekend. After all, I now knew I had to hunt for two. And if Keith opened to me about his mother, then I could open up to him about my condition. 

But he had his practicum and I didn’t want to impose. As long as he woke up with enough meals for himself and his mother, I would be content. 

Finding a bison was easy enough, but dragging it to Keith’s home was another matter entirely, especially difficult when you’re a feral cosmic hell-beast who doesn't walk on its hind legs. But the creature was stronger than when I’m in my human form, so I had to make do with dragging Keith-and-Mom’s next meal with my jaw and three legs, because as I said, I was missing my right arm and my prosthetic didn’t transform along with me. 

I had just dropped my gift off when the door swung open and I was face to face with one of the aliens who had attacked me—no, not one of the aliens themselves, but she must have been from the same species. Yelping, I bolted away as she sounded the alarm. 

I hoped it wouldn’t affect things for Keith—getting that bison was so much work!—so I had to see him. I held myself off for the entire day as I knew he had practicum and I didn’t wish to intrude. As the day dragged on I fooled myself into thinking everything was fine. His mother accepted the bison and was making new meals. Keith and his mother would be fed for weeks. I might stop by to properly be introduced to her—an alien! Then that would mean Keith also was—I thought I had only ever known the cruel sort. 

With a little talk everything would be fine! We’ll enjoy some bison and have a good laugh and there would be no secrets between Keith and myself, and—

To my dismay, the Keith I met up with after class wasn’t the Keith I was hoping to find. He knew about the incident. He suspected me. Why wouldn’t he? I had point-blank asked him to join me at my hunting ground. Feeling on the spot, I stumbled with how to answer him back.

Honesty is always the best policy, but reveal it all here? Would Keith believe me? Was now the best time with him in this state? 

It hurt to see him so angry, so upset over his exams—I never, _never_ wanted to be the reason for him failing! I wanted him to pass and go to space and fight these aliens!—but my brain didn’t work fast enough to come up with an answer or proper apology. 

I made an attempt, and I was so close to spilling my guts to Keith, when he left in a huff, leaving me in the dust, heartbroken and feeling like I had been stampeded by a whole herd of bison. 

Right afterwards I ran into the washroom. No one else was inside—good. I locked the door, turned the sink on, splashed water on my face, and wept. I may have howled once, just once! I didn’t mean to! It sort of…slipped. 

If Keith failed, it was entirely my fault. I had to make it up to him. 

“I’ll just go to his house and talk with him,” I said to my reflection. “Just give him time. He’s angry at me. I would be too. Hell, I’m pissed at me—I’m pissed at you, Shiro!” I laughed at my reflection’s angry and accusatory face. “The road to hell to paved with good intentions! I have to make it up to him!” 

The path to Keith’s house felt odd under my feet. I had no gift with me this time, and I was traveling there on my hind legs—I mean, my human legs. A thousand different scenarios of how the conversation could go played in my head. Some ended with Keith and I embracing. I didn’t dare to linger on those, especially not after what happened earlier today. Others ended with Keith and his mother chasing me off with a rifle. _That_ was probably more realistic, and I wouldn’t blame them. 

The car was parked in front of the shack, a sign that Keith was home. I had hardly gotten any closer when Keith bolted out, the door banging behind him. Flinching, I hid behind the car. My heart immediately leapt to my throat, pounding so loudly that my ears rang and my hand trembled. I glimpsed to the side and watched as Keith scuttled off. 

Frowning, I tiptoed towards the shack and peeked through the windows. Very rude of me, I realized, but I had done it so often as the creature I didn’t realize how it looked as a human. 

Keith’s mother was inside working in the kitchen, shaking her head and grumbling something to herself. My hearing had gotten sharp since the attack, but not _that_ sharp. I didn’t stick around to learn more; I needed to see Keith. 

Now, where was he? Navigating the desert in this form really put me at a disadvantage. I didn’t feel like I could move as fluidly as before. As the creature I could hop from spot to spot with ease, and my eyes could pierce through darkness. As the sun was sinking down below the horizon, it would give me the ability to transform into the creature with ease. Transforming back wouldn’t be as easy, but perhaps seeing me for what I really am would be enough for Keith. 

I located a cave, slipped out of my clothes, and set my prosthetic down. If you ever find yourself a were-creature, you’ll soon learn the financial strain it causes. Always undress yourself before transformation! Now properly nude and shivering in the cold, I concentrated until I felt the burning fire building in my bones. I’ll spare you the rest of the gruesome details, I would much prefer to forget them, but soon I was back in the body of the creature. 

I sniffed the air and immediately picked up Keith’s scent. Great! I can finally see him and maybe settle some things. 

My nose also picked up another scent. Danger. 

The fur my back stood on end as I stilled and scanned the area. A cougar. Where had that thing come from? I hadn’t noticed it as a human, but there it was, sneaking about, eyeing me and its intention was more than clear. It growled, and I growled back, louder and more threatening. It didn’t budge. It meant business. 

That thing, I realized, could hurt Keith. It could hurt Keith and his mother. They probably don’t even know this cougar was around. 

Baring my sharp teeth, I lunged at the cougar. I don’t ever kill for sport. I only kill to eat. But this animal was a threat, and I couldn’t let it hurt Keith. 

Within seconds we were locked in a fight to the death. I sank my claws into it, bit into its neck, attempting to snap it. But the carnivore anticipated my tactics and slipped out of my grip and attacked, landing a terrible blow that knocked me out. As I came to, I watched in horror as it ran off in Keith’s direction. 

Keith! 

I struggled to my feet and went after it, but I wasn’t as fast. My heart pounded in my chest. I had to make it in time, or Keith could—Keith, he couldn’t get hurt again because of me, not again—

The cougar was already near Keith when I spotted it. I couldn’t spot any injuries on Keith, but I didn’t stop to analyze for any damage. I pounced on the beast, knocking Keith aside, and wrestled with the cougar until it went limp in my jaws, having finally snapped its neck in half. 

Keith was regaining consciousness as I came back and made my way towards him. Fear in his eyes turned to curiosity. Seeing that he was perfectly fine, if a bit banged up, filled me with so much joy I couldn’t help yelping like a silly puppy and licking his face. Keith’s expression immediately turned to disgust when he took a good whiff of me— _Same, buddy_ —and ordered me to get off. 

Oops. Got a little too excited there. I complied, and that was when I became painfully aware of the gash on my side. Whimpering, I held his gaze for a few more moments, hoping he’d understand. He spoke some more words, and I heard my name among them; I hoped my bark at the name would help him put two and two together, but he kept staring as if confused. Stabbing pain shot through me again, and I knew I had to get away. I didn’t know what would happen to me, or Keith, if I stayed around much longer. 

I turned my back to Keith and made to leave, but I took no more than five steps before pain shot through me again and everything went black.

⁂

What happened next? I woke up in Keith’s home.

Poor guy must have dragged my entire lifeless beastly form to the shack. I must have been so heavy for him, I owed him the entire world by this point. I woke up to his mother’s screaming, and for the very first time I finally got a name for what I am: a _mandapoxu_ , a Galra-made monster who spread their condition by corrupting the victim’s quintessence and turning them into mindless monsters. 

Sort of like werewolves. But…either it was something about me or the human race that was resistant to the pestilence, because I wasn’t wholly mindless as a typical _mandapoxu_. I could understand Keith and his mother perfectly. I could reason in my head; give me a whole math problem sheet and I could figure it out (I’ll have you know, I was pretty good at math. Had to if I wanted to get into the Galaxy Garrison!) 

Thankfully Keith was on my side, even if he had mistaken me for Shiro’s pet instead of Shiro himself. I pleaded for my life; I whimpered every time the wound on my side flared up. It moved Keith to mercy; he wasn’t going to leave me, and I clung to his side. Eventually his mother gave up, although that blade came mighty close to ending it all. 

Left alone, I watched with a frown as Keith attempted to call my number twice; how could I make him understand? Couldn’t he see the same tuft of white hair? The missing leg? Come on, Keith, you’re top of your class for a reason! 

But even some facts had to be too strange to entertain, even if his mother was Galra. And I couldn’t transform back to a human at will. I was too weak, so I was left at Ketih’s mercy, dependent on him to heal me and for the sunrise to aid me in returning to my human form. 

Application of the wound cleansers hurt like hell, and I couldn’t help yelping and squirming under him. Keith’s eyebrows knitted in confusion, but he spoke to calm me down, and…he was gentle, so gentle that I almost lulled to sleep under him. I would have nuzzled against him had his mother not threatened to skin me alive if I attempted anything out of the ordinary. Truth be told, I believe this was when I began to truly fall for Keith. I hope he feels the same. And if he doesn’t…then I will always look after him either way. 

After he was done, I poked my nose against his chest, gently nudging him towards the bed. It’s been a long day for all of us, and I wanted to make sure Keith got a good night’s rest. Getting the message, he stripped in front of me, and I was thankful my dark fur covered my blush. I bowed my head. It wasn’t fair to look; Keith didn’t know it was me, and, and—

He slipped into bed and I followed him there against orders. Hey, I may never be able to pay him back for everything he did to help me and for all of my mistakes, but I still had my dignity. I wasn’t going to sleep on the floor. 

Thankfully he let me. Even with my dog breath. 

The morning, I knew, was going to be…interesting. Come sunrise and all will be revealed. It wasn’t going to be easy. If trying to help Keith with his weight class test or trying to clear things up with Keith later on hadn’t gone as planned, I wasn’t going to expect the next morning to go smoothly either. And not with Keith’s mother ready to kill the _mandapoxu_ , me, at the slightest provocation. 

I’ll be ready. But for now, I was just content to sleep beside Keith. My best friend who was there for me after my ex left me, whose words carried with me when I went up to Kerberos, who was still ready to be friends again despite my period of absence in his life, the young handsome man who had taken care of me and was so patient. 

I was content to remain like this for now and wish this moment would last forever. 

I was alive and safe, but more importantly, Keith was alive and safe. Whatever came in the morning, I was ready to face it. After all, there is another saying, besides the one about lemons and lemonade, that I always live by, and it’s this: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift—that is why it is called the present.


End file.
